Shockwave Therapy

Shockwave therapy is a safe, minimally invasive therapeutic modality that is used to effectively treat a growing number of tendon, joint and muscle conditions. These conditions are usually chronic long term injuries which cause considerable pain such as Tennis Elbow, Golfers Elbow, Tendonitis, Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles Tendonitis and Myofascial Trigger Points.

Shockwave therapy works through the application of mechanical pressure pulses that disrupt the tendon or soft tissue area. The pulses stimulate an increase in blood supply to the damaged area thereby speeding up the recovery process.

Appointments

Patients have to be referred for a course of shockwave therapy by a suitably qualified healthcare professional, who should discuss the reasons for the therapy with the patient before making the referral.

Patients are usually referred for shockwave therapy if more traditional treatment methods have not been very successful, or if the recovery has reached a plateau.

Shockwave therapy is safe for most patients, however, it is not suitable for certain patients, please see Frequently Asked Questions.

Costs

The initial visit for shockwave usually requires an ultrasound scan prior to therapy commencing. This incurs a cost of £65 for WIOC patients and £85 for patients referred by healthcare professionals external to the WIOC.

Each shockwave therapy session costs £50, and is payable at the end of each visit. Most patients require between 3 and 6 visits, however this depends on how each patient responds to treatment, and may vary.

You will need to be referred for shockwave therapy by a suitably qualified healthcare clinician such as a GP, sports physician, chiropractor, osteopath, physiotherapist, podiatrist etc. Once the referral form has been received at the WIOC, the referring clinician should advise the patient to call the clinic on 01443 483555 to schedule an appointment.

The procedure will take place in one of our ultrasound rooms on the upper floor of the WIOC clinic. If you have any mobility problems please let the reception staff know when you report to the desk on arrival at the clinic. There is a lift available to take you to the first floor.

It will be a qualified medical doctor who will be providing the shockwave therapy. He is trained in musculoskeletal ultrasound, and therefore qualified to interpret the images as well as administer the therapy.

You will be asked to lie on the scanning couch or sit in a chair and the Sports Physician will complete a short ultrasound scan to identify the site for shockwave therapy. Once the site for treatment has been located the shockwave therapy will be administered from a probe which looks a little bit like a gun. The actual shockwave therapy takes about 15 minutes, and the whole appointment should only take around 30-40 minutes. Subsequent visits will not require an ultrasound scan prior to the administration of Shockwave therapy, and will take about 15-20 minutes.

The treatment will be uncomfortable, however the Sports Physician will ask you for constant feedback to ensure the intensity remains within tolerable limits. Most patients experience immediate pain relief after treatment, however it is likely that there may also be some post treatment soreness 2-4 hours after the treatment. This should be managed with over the counter painkillers if necessary. To ensure your treatment is appropriate for your condition it is important to notify the Sports Physician if your symptoms have changed since you were referred.

You can contact us at any time via the WIOC reception staff, who will take a message and ask the relevant staff member to call you. They can be contacted by telephone on 01443 483555 or through a generic e-mail address wioc@southwales.ac.uk